Pritzker doesn’t dismiss possibility of gas tax hike

But says public works bill won’t come quickly

Democratic Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday didn’t dismiss the possibility of a gas tax hike to help pay for rebuilding the state’s infrastructure, but he also cautioned that a major construction program won’t come quickly when his administration begins Jan. 14.

Pritzker also said a capital program and money to pay for it isn’t something the lame-duck legislature should pursue when it returns to Springfield on Jan. 7.

“I think it’s unnecessary to do it before I take office. We’re going to work hard on it all together to make it happen and I want to make sure that we’re focused on it immediately upon taking office,” Pritzker said at an unrelated event in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood.

Still, Pritzker said it “might take a little time” to put together a comprehensive statewide bill to build and replace roads, bridges, water systems and mass transit, along with “the various sources that might fund it.”

“So, I wouldn’t suggest to you that it’s going to happen in the first week or first few weeks of my taking office — mainly because there’s a lot of work to get it done,” he said.

“There are only … 4½ months really of session … so (I’m) not sure exactly how many weeks it will take or months, but suffice to say it’s something we’ll be working on in the first session,” he said.

Republican leaders have indicated initial support for exploring a new capital program to replace one enacted in 2009. But the potential of construction projects also can be a powerful political tool for leveraging votes of both Republicans and majority Democrats in the legislature in exchange for items on the new governor’s agenda. That could lead to end-of-session deal-making in May.

Pritzker’s comments came a day after outgoing Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel offered support for an increase of 20 to 30 cents per gallon in the state’s 19 cents-per-gallon gasoline tax to help fund a capital program. The state’s tax hasn’t changed since 1990, when it was boosted from 16 cents per gallon.

Pritzker said he had no conversation with Emanuel about the mayor’s proposal.

“Oh no, that was his idea, his proposal,” the governorelect said.

Still, Pritzker said he hasn’t “taken anything off the table” involving finding new revenue to fund bonds used to pay for public works projects, though he noted there are other potential sources for money such as expanded gambling.

“Well, we’re going to look at all the various ways that we can fund an infrastructure plan, but there’s no question about the fact that it’s been 10 years since we had a capital fund, a capital project fund, for the state of Illinois,” ” Pritzker said. “We need a capital bill and there’s got to be funding for it.

“As you know, there have been some other proposals made. Sen. Bill Brady (the Senate Republican leader from Bloomington) proposed that we expand gaming in the state as one of the sources for the funding of that capital bill. So we’re going to look hard at that as well,” he said.